Brazil's ABC+ Plan sets, for each of ten low-carbon agricultural technologies, two parallel 2030 targets: a physical target (area, herd size, or adoption volume) and a climate target (Mg CO2 equivalent mitigated). Regional climate-target figures are official accounting estimates from predetermined emission factors applied to observed adoption, not independently measured outcomes. This study assesses the regional consistency and methodological robustness of this official accounting -- not the Plan's actual mitigation effectiveness -- by structuring official data on adoption, expansion, accounted mitigation, and financing across Brazil's five macro-regions (2020-2025), interpreted through a narrative literature review. Because technologies differ in physical unit, mitigation pathway, and time horizon, cross-technology comparisons are presented as descriptive accounting patterns, not a common performance metric; regional shares reflect distribution, not region-specific effectiveness. Results show systematic divergence between physical- and climate-target attainment within most technologies -- 3.3-fold for integrated crop-livestock-forestry and 4.3-fold for agroforestry systems, for example -- and that four biophysically distinct technologies share one fixed accounting coefficient (3.79 Mg CO2eq ha-1 yr-1). Rural credit shows no clearly expressed proportional relationship with accounted mitigation for any technology. We conclude the accounting would benefit from technology-specific emission factors, region-adjusted benchmarks, and greater transparency, and that validating these estimates against field-measured mitigation remains an open task.
The “Healthy China 2030” Planning Outline is explicitly formulated to strengthen the supply guarantee and early warning of shortage drugs and to improve the drug reserve system and emergency supply mechanism. It is further specified by the 4th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China that “the whole-chain supervision of drug safety” should be strengthened during the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Through these institutional arrangements, the advancement of biopharmaceutical innovation and the process of high-quality development are expected to be promoted. Based on the analysis of Five-Year Plan formulation requirements, the current status of drug supply guarantee development, and regional policy goals during the Five-Year Plan period, regional drug safety guarantee policy goals and supply guarantee capabilities are assessed in this paper by means of Social Network Analysis (SNA) and the DEA-Malmquist evaluation method. The results indicate that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the regional drug supply guarantee system was mainly focused on shortage drug management mechanisms, centralized drug procurement, medical devices and consumables, as well as clinical drug use monitoring and dynamic adjustment mechanisms. The Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry was found to have grown most rapidly during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020); however, although the TFP of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry increased by an average of 8.1% annually in the early stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2023), the growth rate slowed down, and the TFP of various regions decreased compared with that of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Based on regional drug supply guarantee policy requirements and guarantee capability evaluation results, the main tasks for drug safety guarantee during the 15th Five-Year Plan period are proposed, including drug safety traceability management, digital scenario practice, structural optimization of clinical medical products, patient medication education, and popular science publicity.
Community wellbeing in mid-sized Southern U.S. cities faces a combination of pressures from issues such as entrenched poverty, limited food access, deteriorating infrastructure, and elevated crime rates. This study reports findings from a preliminary, mixed-methods assessment of community wellbeing perceptions in Jackson, Mississippi. Employing the Atkinson et al. (2020) People-Place-Power framework and the What Works Centre for Wellbeing (Bagnall, 2018) indicator model, we analyzed data from five stakeholder focus groups (n ≈ 55 participants) representing neighborhood residents (renters), local NGO members, neighborhood association leaders, local business owners, and college students. Qualitative thematic analysis of transcripts was combined with nonparametric statistical methods named Kruskal-Wallis H tests and Dunn's post hoc comparisons with Bonferroni correction to identify divergences and areas of consensus across groups. Chi-square tests of independence were applied to categorical ranking data across five wellbeing domains. Findings reveal near-universal concern over crime and public safety (100% of business owners; 80–83% of college students and renters), significant inter-group heterogeneity regarding food access (100% of students vs. 50% of renters) and differential prioritization of infrastructure, parks, and city leadership. Results align with the Governance and Place dimensions of the Bagnall framework and support recent scholarship on resource deserts in the urban South. Implications for participatory comprehensive planning, community capacity-building, and equitable resource allocation are discussed.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2026
The concentration of rare trace gases in the atmosphere in parts per million by volume (ppmv), parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and parts per trillion by volume (pptv) have been reported from several sources. Sustainability, chemistry, and physics students can benefit from understanding how to calculate the concentrations of rare trace gases in the atmosphere. Noting that it is the concentration of a substance which influences the chemical and physical properties of a mixture of the substance not the quantity. Here the calculations are shown from first principles and then applied to carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and carbon monoxide (CO). The masses equivalent to 1ppmv of each gas in the atmosphere are calculated and can be used in a spreadsheet or calculation to arrive at the concentration of these gases in a dry well-mixed atmosphere. This method can also be used for teaching and tutorial work with students in physics, chemistry, botany, environmental science and sustainability courses. Some worked example calculations are used to illustrate how the method can inform policymakers. It is expected that such calculations may be incorporated into models of the atmosphere or climate.
This study presents an energy, thermodynamic efficiency, and sustainability analysis of a deep bioclimatic house, Blasco house, capable of thermal self-regulation without the need for heating or air conditioning. The energy analysis compares the energy consumption of this house to that of a conventional house with the same characteristics. Due to its low energy consumption, the house is energy self-sufficient at a low economic cost. The bioclimatic and thermodynamic efficiency analysis demonstrates the good conceptual thermodynamic performance of the house, as a result of the location of the insulation on the exterior of the building envelope and its high thermal inertia on the interior. Finally, a sustainability analysis of the house was conducted using 11 Green Building Rating Systems (GBRS), quantifying the contribution of the house's bioclimatic design to its overall sustainability. The results highlight the significant sustainability advantages of buildings with deep bioclimatic design.
The use of microbial inoculants has increased markedly in recent years, driven by the need to enhance productivity and reduce reliance on chemical inputs in cultivating maize. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Azospirillum brasilense and Penicillium sp. inoculation on maize productivity and economic feasibility in the Brazilian Cerrado, in association with different doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). An in vitro phosphate solubilization test was conducted for isolate selection. Two field experiments were conducted during the second crop of the 2017/18 and 2018/19 agricultural seasons in Rio Verde, Goiás, Brazil, following a randomized block design in a 4 × 4 factorial scheme (four increasing NPK doses: 30, 60, 90, and 120% of the recommended dose; four inoculation treatments: non-inoculated control, A. brasilense inoculation, Penicillium sp. inoculation, and co-inoculation with both A. brasilense and Penicillium sp.). Grain yield was determined at harvest (kg ha⁻¹). For economic analysis, the costs of NPK fertilization and inoculants were considered, while productivity was converted to gross and net yield based on operating costs. The results showed that both Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. can solubilize Bayóvar natural phosphate under in vitro conditions, with Penicillium sp. exhibiting a greater ability to do so. The co-inoculation of A. brasilense and Penicillium sp. enhanced maize yield and allowed a reduction in standard NPK doses, thereby reducing overall production costs.
Organic household waste constitutes a significant proportion of municipal solid waste and presents major environmental and public health challenges when poorly managed. Composting offers a sustainable approach to managing biodegradable waste while supporting soil health and circular economy objectives. This study investigates the socio-economic and behavioral factors that influence households' willingness to adopt composting in the presence of free training. Data were collected through a household survey involving 397 respondents and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and ordered logistic regression models. The results indicate that approximately 68% of respondents expressed willingness to adopt composting under a training-supported scenario. Chi-square analysis indicates that knowledge of organic waste and waste separation practices is significantly associated with willingness to adopt composting. The ordered logistic regression results indicate that the practice of separating waste is a strong positive predictor of willingness to adopt composting. On the other hand, a person's position in the household and the amount of organic waste they produce have strong negative effects. Socio-economic factors such as gender, education level, and household income were not statistically significant predictors in the multivariate model. These findings suggest that behavioral readiness and existing household waste management practices play a more critical role in compost adoption than demographic characteristics. The study highlights the importance of integrating compost promotion programs with household waste separation initiatives and community-based training programs. Strengthening behavioral change strategies and practical support mechanisms may enhance household participation in composting and contribute to more sustainable municipal waste management systems.
This study examines the effect of financial inclusion on poverty reduction among women in Kenya. Despite sustained government and private sector efforts to enhance financial inclusion through mobile money, savings groups and digital credit services, poverty among women remains persistently high. Using ordered logit models on a sample of 7982 rural and 4,337 urban women, the study investigates the effect of financial inclusion on poverty status classified as hardcore poor, poor and non-poor. The financial inclusion index is computed using principal component analysis. The dummy variables for having bank account, access to credit, having savings and insurance are used to compute the index. The index ranged from 0 to 100. The results show that financial inclusion significantly improves women’s welfare in both rural and urban areas, with odds ratios of 1.024 in rural areas and 1.02 in urban areas, indicating access to financial services is associated with higher probability of not being poor. The results suggest the need for government to deepen and broaden financial inclusion by expanding access to affordable digital financial services, strengthening women-targeted savings and credit products.
The study aims to analyze Riyadh’s current urban forms and identify the most suitable ones for its weather to achieve sustainable urban development. Evaluating traditional urban patterns showed many positive principles useful for future growth. The government have regulated plans to address the hot, arid climate of Riyadh. However, building regulations and zoning in residential areas created constraints, as foreign consultants gave inadequate consideration to the region’s cultural, climatic, and physical requirements. The finding of this study, it was concluded that neo-traditional urbanism is suitable for the city of Riyadh because it is compatible with the city's climatic, social, and urban conditions and needs.
Sustainable water management education (SWME) is increasingly promoted as a pathway for building practical water management skills in water-scarce regions. However, empirical evidence on its effectiveness within Technical Training Institutions (TTIs) remains limited. This study evaluated the effectiveness of SWME in enhancing students’ water management skills in TTIs in Tana River County, Kenya, with specific attention to institutional support and practices. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed, involving 64 participants (students, tutors, and administrators) drawn through a census approach. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and observation checklists and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. The findings reveal significant divergence in perceptions of institutional support for SWME, with administrators unanimously reporting the absence of formal policies, while most students perceived such policies to exist. Institutional support emerged as a strong predictor of students’ SWM skills (R = 0.818; R² = 0.6696), explaining approximately 67% of the variance in competence levels. Instructional challenges were evident, including limited curriculum integration, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient resources, and low instructor confidence. Despite this, students reported relatively high levels of competence, suggesting a possible overestimation associated with self-reported data. The study concludes that while SWME has strong potential to enhance practical water management skills, its effectiveness is largely constrained by weak institutional frameworks and limited instructional capacity. Strengthening policy enforcement, instructor preparedness, and experiential learning infrastructure is essential for improving outcomes in vocational sustainability education.
Formalized management systems for environmental aspects and impacts are relatively new to the corporate world, with the first systems being launched in the early 1990s. In the ensuing years, the ISO 14001 standard (currently valid in its 2015 edition) has become the premier global guidance on environmental management. The objective of an Environmental Management Systems (EMS) is to improve the environmental performance of an organization and demonstrate its proper management of environmental aspects. A systems approach is an effective way to run an effective EMS and the most popular model is the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model. The foundation of a good quality EMS lies in a proper understanding of the aspects and impacts of an organization and this paper promotes the importance of the planning stage, particularly for larger organizations such as multinational corporations. The objective of the planning stage is to plan the time, cost and resources to appropriately establish the work required to administer the EMS. It entails a comprehensive understanding of key value-adding activities in the organization, including an assessment of important stakeholders, related environmental aspects and impacts, key controls, and environmental laws and regulations.
This study investigates the impact of digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) on sustainable development outcomes in MENA economies over the period 2010–2023. It employs a dynamic panel data approach using the System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM) estimator to address endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, and persistence effects. The findings indicate that digital transformation is the primary driver of sustainable development, exerting a stronger and more consistent effect compared to AI. This highlights the role of digital infrastructure as a foundational enabler of sustainability transitions. In contrast, AI shows a positive but weaker impact, reflecting its complementary and maturity-dependent nature within the digital ecosystem. The results also reveal significant regional heterogeneity, with GCC countries exhibiting stronger effects than non-GCC economies. This disparity is explained by differences in institutional quality, digital infrastructure, and absorptive capacity. Overall, the study demonstrates that sustainable development in MENA economies is driven not only by technology adoption but also by the interaction between digital infrastructure, AI, and institutional readiness.
This study investigates the relationship between sustainability practices and profitability in Brazilian publicly traded companies by applying profitability estimation models that incorporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) indicators. Using a comprehensive dataset spanning multiple sectors and years, the research explores how ESG-related disclosures and performance affect financial outcomes. The models aim to estimate profitability while controlling for firm size, industry, and macroeconomic variables. Results suggest a positive correlation between strong ESG performance and long-term profitability, reinforcing the financial relevance of sustainable business practices. This work contributes to the growing field of sustainable finance by offering empirical evidence from an emerging market context.
Against the backdrop of rural revitalisation and the continued integration of culture and tourism in China, this study takes Guangdong Village in Yanbian Prefecture as a typical case, systematically exploring the intrinsic logic of rural creative tourism resource transformation and sustainable development mechanisms in ethnic minority regions based on spatial production theory and stakeholder theory. The research finds that Guangdong Village creatively transforms local agricultural and cultural resources into tourism experiences by organically integrating agricultural production, ethnic culture, and spaces of everyday life, and has constructed a multi-stakeholder collaborative structure of "government guidance—enterprise operation—village collective coordination—farmer participation". The study reveals a sustainable development model of "Co-creation, Co-construction, Co-sharing" that connects cultural experience, everyday community life, and creative tourism spaces, and contributes to the synergistic realisation of economic, social, cultural, and ecological value. However, the village also faces sustainable development challenges such as unequal benefit distribution and limited resident involvement in decision-making. This study provides theoretical insights and practical implications for the sustainable development of rural creative tourism in ethnic minority regions.
Somalia’s arid and semi-arid landscapes face severe degradation due to climate change, recurrent droughts, overgrazing, deforestation, and governance challenges, threatening livelihoods, food security, and national stability. Climate change acts as a risk multiplier, intensifying drought impacts, reducing tree seedling survival, and exacerbating degradation pressures on already fragile ecosystems. Forest and rangeland restoration, anchored in indigenous multipurpose species such as Boswellia and Commiphora, presents a strategic pathway to enhance ecological resilience, diversify livelihoods, and support climate adaptation. Community-led approaches, coupled with secure land tenure, strengthened governance, gender-inclusive participation, and market-oriented value chains, are critical to ensuring sustainable outcomes. Alignment with national policies: Vision 2060, Green Somalia, National Adaptation Plan, NDC 3.0, and continental initiatives including AFR100, GGWI, and Agenda 2063 provides a framework for coherent, scalable, and impactful restoration. This policy brief underscores the ecological, economic, and social imperatives of large-scale restoration in Somalia, highlighting actionable strategies for policymakers, donors, and development partners to transform degraded drylands into productive, climate-resilient landscapes.
As the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa, Ghana occupies a central position in the global pursuit of sustainable agricultural value chains and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Efforts to promote productivity and sustainability in the cocoa sector are largely driven by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) through input subsidies, pest management, and farmer support programmes. This study examines gender disparities in access to productive resources and sustainability-oriented support services within this context. Employing a mixed-methods design, the study combines quantitative survey data from 532 cocoa farmers with participatory qualitative approaches. Results reveal persistent gender-based inequalities across key domains of production support. Access to loans was limited overall, but significantly more men (12.4%) than women (6.6%) secured credit for production (χ²=5.192, p=0.016). Similarly, men (21.9%) were more likely than women (14.3%) to access input credit (χ²=5.090, p=0.016). Participation in the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme was also gendered, with 70.8% of men and 56.2% of women benefiting (χ²=12.255, p=0.001). Although access to agronomic training was broadly equitable (84.7% men; 84.1% women), men attended more sessions on average (p=0.010). Gender disparities were also observed in pruning service access (65% men; 52.7% women; χ²=8.245, p=0.003), though not in access to agrochemicals or subsidized fertilizer. The findings emphasises enduring structural inequalities that constrain women’s participation in sustainability-enabling interventions. Advancing gender-responsive strategies in Ghana’s cocoa sector is therefore essential to achieving equitable and sustainable development within global agricultural commodity systems.
Globally, earthquake impacts are escalating. One of the key factors that reduces the impacts is an effective response. This article examines earthquake responses in Bukoba Municipality, located along the East African Rift System. The study adopted a qualitative-descriptive research approach involving purposive sampling of key informants and focus group participants. Data were collected through documentary reviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and physical visits. The data were then analysed using content analysis. The study identified seven emergency response functions in Bukoba Municipality. These functions are carried out collaboratively by stakeholders, depending on the severity of the impacts. For minor disasters, responses are managed by municipal stakeholders, while severe disasters prompt national and international intervention, as demonstrated during the 2016 earthquake. The emergency functions are conducted reactively, with memorandums of understanding and resource mobilization occurring only during an event. Response activities also face a shortage of funds, attributed to the lack of an autonomous budget, partly due to the absence of a disaster management department at the municipality. The study also found that reporting was poorly coordinated and relief funds were inadequately managed, resulting in funds being sabotaged. In responding, it was found that community members, despite their limited knowledge and skills, played a vital role; however, they were dissatisfied with the government’s support for victims, particularly regarding how the government allocated relief funds. Additionally, stakeholders failed to adequately comply with legal requirements and fulfill their responsibilities. The study recommends a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive disaster management, including strengthening community earthquake drills, raising awareness, and ensuring transparency, participation, and balancing community needs with government priorities in the distribution of relief funds. Other recommendations include establishing a disaster management department at the municipal level and strengthening the enforcement of disaster management legal requirements.
Eutrophication of freshwater and saltwater is a natural phenomenon that is currently exacerbated by human activities, resulting in increased nutrient concentrations, especially nitrogen and phosphorus. This study reveals that observations indicate a decline in biodiversity in Lake Santa Maria Tasi Tolu Dili, which is in line with the deterioration of ecological conditions and the destruction of its habitat. This study aims to explore indicators of eutrophication in Lake Santa Maria, specifically focusing on human activities and their impacts on environmental pollution, eutrophication, and algal blooms in freshwater lakes, saltwater lakes, and rivers. The main objective of this study is to explain the mechanism of eutrophication and identify factors contributing to algal blooms in Lake Santa Maria waters. In addition, this study will discuss the relationship between eutrophication and algal blooms, as well as the consequences of environmental pollution in lake water. Qualitative methodology, as described by Oranga and Matere (2023), involves an in-depth analysis of specific cases within a broader category of phenomena, which are generally referred to as case studies. While this approach may not yield universally applicable insights, it can be a valuable tool in the early stages of research, facilitating the development of hypotheses that can be rigorously tested with a larger sample size. As highlighted by Hunter et al. (2019), this research adopted an exploratory approach to data collection, which included direct field data collection or primary data generation to gain a deeper understanding of a particular subject, phenomenon, or issue. The findings of this investigation reveal that the eutrophication of Lake Santa Maria is influenced by a variety of factors. Lake Santa Maria is predominantly characterized by the presence of green, red, brown, and golden algae, as well as various macrophytes. These algal species create floating colonies within the lake, while others are situated along the shores, coexisting with macrophytes. They flourish within a temperature range of 25°C to 32°C and have demonstrated adaptability to a pH range of 7.12 to 7.43, along with salinity levels between 14‰ and 15‰. Notably, there is evidence of eutrophication occurring in the lake's waters. The cyanobacterial species identified include Anabaena, Oscillatoria, Nodularia, Nostoc, and Microcystis aeruginosa. The effects of eutrophication and drought on the lake's biotic community are profound, particularly due to elevated evaporation rates resulting from daily high temperatures and dry winds, which further exacerbate fish mortality alongside lake pollution. To avert further degradation of the lake's water quality, it is essential to implement clear regulations and provide comprehensive information to the surrounding community.
The use of roofing with high solar radiation reflectance has proven effective in improving buildings’ thermal and energy performance, especially in hot climates. However, performance declines over time due to the natural aging of surfaces. Another issue identified in relation to passive techniques, such as cool roofs, is the difficulty in quantifying their benefits in buildings without air conditioning. This study aimed to investigate the impact of aging and restoration (achieved through a cleaning process) on cool roofs in terms of thermal, energy, and economic performance. The method applied was capable of assessing the economic benefits of cool roofs in buildings without air conditioning. The surfaces were evaluated by exposing samples of white-painted fiber cement tiles for two years in three Brazilian cities: Florianópolis, São Paulo, and Manaus. The samples’ thermal emittance and solar reflectance were measured in three conditions: new, aged, and restored, after the first and second years of exposure. With the results measured in the laboratory, a computer simulation was performed using the EnergyPlus software for a thermoenergetic evaluation. Finally, an analysis of the economic benefits of cool roofs in a residential building without air conditioning was carried out. Thermal emittance did not show significant changes due to natural aging and restoration. Conversely, the solar reflectance of the surfaces underwent significant changes in the aging process. It was observed that the cool roofs’ greatest performance was in the first year of exposure (reduction of up to 40% in reflectance), and the restoration process proved to be efficient for most samples, returning to the initial reflectance value for some of them. A few paints did not perform well over time, proving to be unsuitable for the proposed purpose. A benefit of up to US$2.87 per square meter was found when considering the use of cool roofs for the city of São Paulo.
